The Falcons appeared about to select Bill Belichick during a wild and unpredictable head coaching search, until it was suddenly revealed that Raheem Morris had been selected.
Arthur Blank was reportedly pushed away from Belichick because of the influence he would have on the team and the fact that he would be travelling to Atlanta with a large entourage.
Still, there appear to be divergent opinions these days. Boomer Esiason, the host of WFAN and a former NFL quarterback, learned from an NFL executive that Belichick had made an offer to the Falcons, but that Blank was the one who wasn’t interested.
During his Monday “Boomer and Gio” broadcast, Esiason stated, “I was told yesterday, and I do believe it from the source that I got it from, that supposedly Arthur Blank was bought into Bill Belichick and could have offered him the job.”
“I don’t know why guys say no, but an NFL executive told me straight up that they think Bill was offered the position by Arthur Blank. It’s possible that the offer had certain conditions attached to it, but you never know. It’s never like, “Hey Bill, here’s a five-year contract, you do whatever you want.” It wasn’t one of those, I believe.
While this is undoubtedly fresh information, it doesn’t imply that the rest of the story is false. Albert Breer claimed that while Blank was smitten with Belichick, he was only interested in hiring him as “the head coach” and not for the other positions he had taken on in New England. Rumours also circulated that Belichick and McKay would not collaborate. That does seem like a potential contributing element to neither side giving up.
Esiason remarked, “It seemed to me that the decision was made with the intention of saying, ‘OK, I understand your concerns, but you’re going to have to deal with some of this and we want you to come in, we want you to be the coach,’ and maybe he just changed his mind.”
Perhaps he even added, “You know what? I’d prefer not to jump back in. A year away, please. There will reportedly be five or six job openings in the upcoming year, so I’d like to watch what transpires. An owner might remark, “You know what? I want to follow you down this route, and I want you to take over and manage my building in the same manner that you managed the New England Patriots.
The Falcons looked like a kid in this search, not like a top-tier team, so I have no idea what narrative to believe. Reports, rumours, etc. leaked all the time.
Even after the Falcons announced that they had signed Raheem Morris, Rich McKay would no longer be involved in football operations. Subsequently, Brett Jewkes posted on a PR Twitter thread, blathering about how meticulous the process was and how Blank wasn’t scared. It seemed like a straightforward reaction to the clamour coming from outside the company.
I can keep my doubts about Arthur Blank and Rich McKay separate from my enthusiasm and faith in Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris.
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